Danger Zone

Kenny Loggins is awesome.

But aside from that, I want to ask a question.

Is there a series of nonfiction books about history that kids actually want to read? Is there a series so engaging, they can't wait to read the newest one? Is there a series so captivating elbowing fights will occur, feelings will be hurts, threats will be made, shouts will be heard all over the newest installment?

Yes!

I've told you about it before, but I'm going to tell you about it again, because my mom recently sent us a few we didn't have and it reminded me of the amazing power of these seemingly goofy books.

Every single kid in our family loves these books. They read them very differently, but they all love them, and yes, they fight over them.

Is it bad that this fighting makes me happy? Probably. Is it bad that this fighting makes me lose my temper, even when it makes me happy? Probably. But that's another story for another day.

This series is sometimes called Danger Zone and it is sometimes called You Wouldn't Want to be a...




Get a few from the library or invest in just a few. Leave them around the house. I am 99% sure you will find your kids sitting, reading, learning, and not even realizing they are doing it. Stealthy parenthood in action!

Houndsley and Catina

We love Houndsley and Catina by James Howe around here.



Catina is so spunky and Houndsley is so houndish and sweet. I love their friends. I love that Catina wants to be a writer and she stinks at it. I love that Houndsley wants to be a chef, and he's wonderful, but only when he's cooking at home, for friends. These are perfect for your Early Readers (preschool through second grade), and they are just good writing. The stories are realistic, and the illustrations are enchanting, for lack of a better word. They are part of the Candlewick Sparks series which I generally love.

Buy some. Today!


And if you have any extra time, watch this video that has caught my attention. I'll be posting about this later because we are trying SOLE's in our family right now and, so far, we love them. 

http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html

Two Winning Toads

In deep hopper space,
long ships fly
from star to shining star.
One ship is slim,
one ship is green,
a lean green space machine.
The captain of this ship is brave and bright,
bright and brave.
His name is
Commander Toad.

That is the beginning to Commander Toad and the Voyage Home by Jane Yolen. Doesn't it have a great Star Trekkie feel to it? Commander Toad is an amphibian version of that classic TV show, which most kids today wouldn't get, but the adult reading it aloud to their child will. There are clever puns and nuances in these stories that make this series a pleasure for everyone to read. Another thing that makes Commander Toad stand out is the language used:

The ship is called Star Warts. 
Its mission:
to find new worlds,
to explore old galaxies,
to bring a little bit of Earth
out to the alien stars.
Commander Toad is not alone
on his lean green space machine.
Mr. Hop
is the copilot.
Lieutenant Lily
is the master of machinery.
Young Jake Skyjumper
keeps an eye on the dials.
And old Doc Peeper,
in his green grass wig,
keeps everybody healthy and hoppy.

This book falls in the early reader category—books for kids five to seven years old. Early readers  generally have very controlled (sometimes even dumbed down) language. But not in Commander Toad. Galaxies. Machinery. Dials. Mission. Lieutenant. These are not words in most early readers. But Yolen manages to pull off a great story with fantastic language that young children can enjoy!




And Calvin has been LOVING Return to the Willows by Jacqueline Kelly (author of Calpurnia Tate). The illustrations, alone, are worth checking out, and if you loved Wind in the Willows, or even if your kids just love the movie, get them this book! No one is more adventurous than Mr. Toad, and this is a rip-roaring adventure to say the least. Good for kids ages eight and up.


Hop thyself down to the library or click onto Amazon and get these books for your boys! (And girls, of course).